Robert van de Graaf

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Noah's Arc and the Great Flood - Oil on linen 140 x 200 cm

Robert van de Graaf (B. 1983) is a Dutch Fine Artist living and working in The Hague, The Netherlands. He graduated as an Architect from the Technical University in Delft (2009.) He started to develop himself as a Fine Artist from 1996. Robert followed an intense private painting and drawing education by the Dutch artist, Erica Meyster, from 1996 till 2001. In 2011 he decided to follow his dream to become a full-time artist and stopped working as an architect. Since then he is working hard on his career as a Fine Artist.

Robert van de Graaf is interested in the connection between the mystic of this world, and all its elements (the sea, the sky, nature, fire, light, and darkness), and the sense and the dimension of the other world. Myths, mystical places or stories, from history and present days are the source of inspiration for his artworks.

In his recent series of artworks, he delves deeply into passages of the Bible, combining the inspiration of the passages with the beauty and forces of the elements on earth. In his recent series of artworks, he is questioning human destiny and how we can relate to the great mystical and religious texts. Robert transforms the inspiration of the texts into symbolic modern interpretations while referring to paintings of the Old Masters as Rembrandt’s ‘The Storm on the Sea of Galilee’ (1632).

The paintings balance between figuration and abstraction and allow freedom of interpretation to the viewer.

Robert thinks a certain amount of abstraction is the key to allow freedom into the paintings.He wishes his artworks to be a (re)discovery for the viewer and wishes to encourage deepening. This is his reaction to the superficiality of modern society and the lack of ‘soul food’ for younger generations. Robert considers his artworks and the process of creating a (spiritual) journey of freedom, devotion, (inner) peace, inner battles, and faith.